


black eyes

by AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed



Category: The Black Tapes Podcast
Genre: Banter, Friendship, Gen, Injury, Makeup, implied stragan, mentioned ruby/charlie, ruby and strand are friends fight me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 12:25:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17488019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed/pseuds/AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed
Summary: Ruby tries to help Strand cover up a black eye. It's not going well





	black eyes

“Fuck,” Ruby says, glowering at her boss.

 

“What is it now?” Strand asks wearily.

 

“This doesn’t match your fucking complexion,” Ruby answers, glaring at the tin of makeup in her hand.

 

“It will have to do.”

 

“Yeah, it will, because I’m not paying out of my ass to cover this up,” she says, gesturing at the dark purple bruise marring Strand’s face and darkening the skin around his eye. At least the swelling’s mostly gone down, she thinks.

 

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Strand says. “Besides, I’d have to give you compensation if you did.” 

 

“Wait, seriously-?” Ruby brings herself back, only to see Strand wearing a glimmer of a smile. “Oh, you were joking. Rude.”  She dabs a bit more makeup onto Strand’s new shiner.

 

“Would you remind me why can’t you just lock yourself away until this heals?” Ruby asks, unsatisfied with the look of her canvas, reaching for a color-correcting palette.

 

“Ms. Reagan will be arriving here later today after her flight. It would be rude to turn her away when she’s made such a long trip.”

 

Ruby smirks. “Oh, I get it. You’re trying to look nice for Alex. I see how it is-” She breaks off in a laugh as Strand scowls at her. 

 

“My aesthetic appearance does not factor into any part of my  _ professional _ relationship with-”

 

“I’m joking, Boss,” Ruby reassures him, deciding to humor him and continue pretending that no one else has noticed the odd dynamic between him and Alex Reagan.

 

“I simply don’t wish to alarm her,” Strand states. “I’d rather conceal this.”

 

“Whatever,” Ruby says, smearing concealer under his eye, “but are you seriously not going to tell me who the fuck did this to you?” She keeps trying to spring the question on him, in the futile hope that he’ll be startled enough to finally answer her.

 

It hasn’t worked, mainly because her boss is one stubborn bastard.

 

However, Ruby prides herself on her own abnormal levels of obstinate perseverance. She’ll weasel the answer out of him yet. 

 

“How are you and Charlie doing?” Her hand freezes. She knew he’d change the subject, but not to this. 

 

And damn him, this isn’t an answer she can deny him.

 

“We’re doing good- _ well, _ ” she says, amending her grammar at his cringe. If Strand weren’t so devoted to debunking paranormal hoaxes, he probably would’ve become a high school English teacher. “She’s been acting a bit odd lately, though. I think work is stressing her out.” 

 

“Odd how?” Strand’s brow furrows.

 

“Something about how the lab is being bought out by some big-shot corporation. She hasn’t really wanted to talk about it.” 

 

“I see.” 

 

“Yeah, but she’s smart; even if she loses her job, she’ll be able to get another one in a snap,” Ruby says, confident in Charlie’s abilities. She dusts setting powder onto Strand’s face, still not happy with the result. 

 

There’s a knock on the door, and Strand tenses at the sound. “That must be-”

 

“Alex, yeah.” Ruby pauses, looking disapprovingly at his face before scooping her makeup supplies into her bag. “Good luck with that.” 

 

He heaves a long-suffering sigh as she heads for the door. She opens it and sure enough, Alex stands there, looking tired but nonetheless like a functional adult, something Strand is having difficulty with at the moment. Ruby greets her and leaves Strand’s office, and she can’t help but laugh when she hears Alex Reagan’s shrieked  _ “What the hell happened to your eye?” _

**Author's Note:**

> Comment/kudos please!


End file.
